HMS Astute prepares for launch.

As you have heard or just found out, the Royal Navy is about to launch the first sub of the new class. I rarely see any pictures of the Astute class except in concept or art pics, but now as just only few days from launch we get to actually see the whole sub.

You can see the size of the sub in comparison to the people that are nearby just to get a picture of how big it is.

[edit on 4-6-2007 by deltaboy]

Hate to break it to you but that picture is also computer generated concept art. I doubt she will be moved out till Thursday night/Friday morning just in time or the ceremony.

P.A.

[edit on 5-6-2007 by paperplane_uk]

BEA systems have some dam good graphics artists. this is CGI btw, navy-matters.beedall.com... its just less then half way down he page.

Regardless submarines are pretty featureless on the outside as well as the inside, you probably wont see much difference between this and the real thing anyway.

Originally posted by paperplane_uk
Hate to break it to you but that picture is also computer generated concept art

P.A.

HAHA, thought it looked funny.....

Regardless, it is a pretty damn good representation.

what is the actual launch date? Might see if I can go down and watch..

Launch date is the 8th June 2007

The approximate launch timetable for Friday June 8 is:

10.30am: Camilla arrives in Barrow

11am: DDH doors open and after words by yard boss Murray Easton Camilla will name Astute before it is blessed by the Bishop of Carlisle.

11.30am: Camilla will meet the crowds.

Midday: Camilla and 400 guests will have lunch in DDH

1pm: Submarine moves on rails at one metre a minute on to the shiplift

7pm: Pop concert in DDH.

10.30pm: Fireworks display.

On Saturday, at about 8am, the shiplift’s 108 winches will begin to lower the sub 19 metres, at a rate of one metre every five minutes

looks like a black pudding.

CGI or not, the Astute appears to be a fine looking boat.

One question, on this image, what is that supposed to be on the extreme bow?
It's too small to be a sonar dome.
It looks almost like a headlight

I sure we will get to see it on the BBC, No pics of the propulsion though I bet!

Originally posted by Id123
I sure we will get to see it on the BBC, No pics of the propulsion though I bet!

i don't think it will look that much different than any other. Obviously it may be stealthier and what not, but it's not going to have any funky "caterpillar drive" like on Red October

The Astute's have VLS torpedoes don't they? I notice what I think are the tubes along the spine of the boat.

I like your itinery paperplane. Only one mistake.

10:25pm crowd throw Camilla in the Briney.

10:30pm Fireworks start.

Now that would be a spectacular send off for HMS Astute.

The thing which looks like a headlight on the front of the sonar dome is a logo put there for the launch. This will be removed at a later tiime. This logo will have for example.. the company name/logo on it and or something to do with the Royal Navy.
In the States there is a large bunting which covers the whole sonar dome and installed before the boat is put in the water for the first time. Once again just for the ceremony but removed before she goes in the water and all the dignitarys are gone.
Also I believe this boat will be going to a pier for further outfitting before delivery to the navy. The intresting thing about this type of construction in sheds like this is that more and more of the construction and outfitting can be done even before she is lowered into the water. It cuts tremendous amount of time off the construction. Boats here used to spend up to two years on a pier before delivery and after they were lowered into the water. Not so now days. With new construction techniques this time has been cut down substantially.

When a boat is out on patrol..especially at night or in the day on the surface you want nothing on the hull or below the waterline which will be seen or make the hull visible.

Amereican boats which have bright white numbers on the side of the sail in photographs ...means that this boat is out on sea trials. After the navy takes posession of the boat and it leaves the construction shipyard the numbers are removed.

Though it is a computer generated image..you can tell a few things about this boat just by what is in the image...for those versed in the trade that is.
It will be intresting to compare what is in the actual launch photos...those released to the public.
Someone said it correctly. You should not see much which directly pertains to the propulsion system. If you do someone messed up big time.

Thanks,
Orangetom

[edit on 5-6-2007 by orangetom1999]

hey orangetom,

how come in most photos of US boats you never see the real propulsor. instead you see some 1960's bladed screw added in digitally or a big tarp hanging off where the screw is.

I saw the Honolulu (I was told) park herself outside of Avalon Harbor in maybe 100 feet of water in the channel islands off Los Angeles at Catalina Island. she was grey black, just surfaced enough to allow maybe 6 to 8 feet of the hull to be above water and the sail. I say I think she was the honolulu because she didn't have any markers on her sail. but she did have draught markers in dull grey on her rear rudder and again near the bow. She was definantly a 688 though. only saw the port side of her though and I was like 10 years old at the time so I never got to see if she had that dorsal spine running along the starboard side of her. As a kid it was one of the coolest things I'd ever seen. A friggen nuclear submarine! sweet. she stayed overnight. crew went to shore on zodiac looking inflatable boats. nobody was allowed near the sub which was just parked in the harbor about a 1/4 mile out. amybe even in closer.

So what was she doing in catalina's harbor? and is this normal? again curious. either way it doesn't really matter what she was up to it was still an honor to see such a fine boat from any distance.

Good luck to them, I'm sure they will be a fine fleet.

I would still hate to been in one of them under water though!

Orangetom, thanks for the answer.

Yeah I have seen the bunting that goes on US subs at a launch, makes sense that it's something similar.

still a great looking boat in my opinion. Knoiwing the british it's also probably very lethal too. would be scary though to realize suddenly that you are 1000 feet under water for 6 months.

Originally posted by paperplane_uk
Hate to break it to you but that picture is also computer generated concept art. I doubt she will be moved out till Thursday night/Friday morning just in time or the ceremony.

P.A.

[edit on 5-6-2007 by paperplane_uk]

Bleh, and I thought it was the real thing. When you said it was CGI, I looked more carefully and realized the discrepancies. Especially where 2 people are exactly the same in same stance.

Originally posted by orangetom1999

Someone said it correctly. You should not see much which directly pertains to the propulsion system. If you do someone messed up big time.

Thanks,
Orangetom

[edit on 5-6-2007 by orangetom1999]

I saw a pic of the stern of the German 212 and I actually see the screw blade clearly. Was it by accident or that the Germans don't care since its not really top secret anymore?

BASSPLYR,
Gotta hustle now..off to work very soon.Great that you saw what was the Honolulu. I worked on her when she was being built. I have no idea what she was doing in Catalina harbor.

Correct on that you never see the actual propulsor..or I should say the internals. THe pitch of the blades is confidential and will tell the knowlegable certain things about the speed and quiteness of this boat within a certain speed range/rpm. This is why as I stated to West Point some time ago why the Wheels are covered up here Stateside...on US Boats. IF you are ever priveleged to see a current up to date submarine wheel you are very fortunate. THe older boats not so much anymore but they will give you an idea of what is happening if you ever see even one of the olde wheels. Nothing quite looks like a submarine wheel. They stand out immediately.

Xmotex..your welcome for the reply. This initially looks like a very clean submarine design. Precisely what the doctor ordered in a hunter killer/intelligence gathering platform. Ooorah!!!

Gotta hustle off to work,
Thanks to all for thier posts,
Orangetom

you rock orangetom. thanks again for your input. Yep i think all the pictures of screws on the back of more modern navy vessels are digitally altered to keep certain secrets safe. maybe not even the real ones at all. I also suspect that if you are seeing a sub with it's parascope or snorkle or whatever they have up they on the sail now a days it's probably altered with completely fake parascopes n such to hide it's real tech. pretty darned shure they do this all the time if not everytime.

also I don't believe that subs can only dive 600 feet or whatever. bet you 20 dollars that they can, must, need to and do go much deeper than they advertise. Especially since the NR1. same thing with battery life, reactor abilities. whtever various tech they use for power sources or energy delivery sources. bet they go faster than 20 knots underwater when they want to. and faster than 34 on the surface.

remember the alfa. they were claiming that they can go down 3000 feet and travel at 44 knots. true that boat was probably one of the worlds noisiest boats. but iff thats what the alfa could do. I wonder what the akula can do. and if thats just the russain boats imagine what the US & GB boats can really do.

navy-matters.beedall.com...

the rear section in that photo appears to be the torpedo tubes mounted in a V near the ouside of the hull.

now what are the 2 mounted horizontally for?